


Home For Christmas

by Acherona, trulywicked



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, EWE, F/M, Fluff, Gwen the cat, M/M, Pining, Silly boys being silly, Smut, Snow, m-preg, smidgen of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 18:02:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/600603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acherona/pseuds/Acherona, https://archiveofourown.org/users/trulywicked/pseuds/trulywicked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be only sex, they were both clear on that. Of course 'love' had to go and ruin everything and Draco gets the surprise of a lifetime. This Christmas will be something special indeed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Christmas 2011 but it has not been posted here before so we hope you’ll like this little piece of Holiday fluff.

**Disclaimer** \- We have no claims on Harry Potter nor any characters or locations thereof. This is written only for fun.

**Warning** \- M-Preg! If this is not to your tastes then please hit the back button now. Sexual situations between two males and more fluff than strictly healthy.

**Home For Christmas**

Heat and cooling sweat, warm panting in his ear and the strong, familiar, battle hardened body under his. Arms that seemed made of steel at times wrapped firmly around him, holding him right where he was. Not that Draco Malfoy was keen on moving. Whenever he was able to have some time with his secret lover, he was more than happy to remain plastered against the other man's body especially if it was in the wake of the mind blowing sex that was sure to leave him sitting just a tad uncomfortably tomorrow. He shifted lazily, one foot rubbing up and down his lover's calf, the coarse hair of it tickling his toes. "Mmm that was brilliant."

"Yeah, you can say that again." Harry was still fighting to get his breathing back to normal, he only had to see his lover for it to quicken and sex with the glorious man on top of him always knocked it out of him completely. He ran rough, calloused hands up and down a pale back covered in flawless, silky skin. Draco was a comfortable weight on top of him and Harry was in no hurry to move. This, this right here was bliss, just him and his sexier than allowed lover, the rest of the world shut out and forgotten. "Waited since last week to do that to you, almost exploded before I even got to touch you."

A husky chuckle from a voice that had screamed out his pleasure came from the blond, "Now that's something I'll have to try one day. Just tie you up and see if I can get you off with my voice and naked presence alone." Draco had missed this, missed the sex yes but more he'd missed the comfortable afterglow with them nestled together. It was strange to enjoy that almost more than the sex perhaps but he did. He missed the hell out of Harry's presence when they couldn't do this. They'd agreed when this first began to keep it secret from their friends to avoid unnecessary arguments and confrontations so he couldn't walk up to Harry in the Ministry and just press against him or take his hand or snog the breath out of him. Back when the agreement had been made it really had been just sex, mind blowing, earth shaking, foundation rattling sex, but Draco's feelings had grown. He'd grown to enjoy Harry for more than the sexy body and glorious cock. There was a shockingly brilliant mind underneath the Gryffindor recklessness, a quick agile tongue that met and matched his sarcasm very well, a steady, solid presence that was like standing on a bedrock island after weeks being tossed about like a rag doll in the sea, and a tenderness that could make Draco's breath catch in his throat.

It had been slow and gradual but Draco could admit privately that he'd stupidly fallen in love with Potter. What was it with him and impossibly complicated situations? Sometimes he rather thought he attracted them like honey attracted badgers.

"You know, I'm not entirely opposed to that idea. Me bound and helpless and you performing for me." Harry gave a throaty chuckle, too sated to even twitch at the more than enticing imagery running through his head. Harry didn't want to leave, didn't want to get out of this bed, put on his clothes and return to his normal, empty life. Going to work, going home to an empty house and being surrounded by well meaning friends that poked and prodded and all thought they knew what was best for him. 

Draco was hot, the hottest, sexiest man Harry had ever been with. He was also insanely clever, funny and with a very strong moral fiber underneath all that snark. It was supposed to be sex, to get the fever Draco caused in him out of his blood but instead it only got worse. Harry wanted to be with him all the time. Often he found himself thinking of things he wanted to tell and show Draco all throughout the day and it actually hurt when he remembered that he couldn't. That Draco wasn't his that way. Somewhere along the line he'd fallen madly and helplessly in love with Draco Malfoy, Slytherin git extraordinaire. Loving Draco was easy; it was trying to stop that wasn't working out for Harry. He knew that Draco wanted it casual, secret meetings with no strings attached. That had been good in the beginning but now it wasn't nearly enough. Harry had found out that he wanted everything with Draco Lucius Malfoy.  
Draco nipped sharply at Harry's collarbone in retaliation, just shy of causing a mark though he really, really wanted to mark the peachy skin. "Prat." He wondered absently if he fell asleep if Harry would stay snuggled up with him or if he'd leave without waking him to say goodbye. It was a tossup but just as he was beginning to decide on testing it out, an annoying tapping came on the window and he turned his head to see a miniscule ball of fluff fluttering frantically at the window. "Oh go away you bloody feathered snitch."

"Is that...Is that Pig?" Harry rose from the fluffy pillow and looked toward the large window. If the small owl had tracked him down here then it was probably an important note, Ron or Hermione wouldn't owl him this time at night if it wasn't. Groaning he carefully tipped Draco to the side and fished for his pants on the floor, pulling up the green boxer-briefs before he walked across the thick carpet and opened the window.

Draco growled and glared at the little owl as it zipped around the room like a demented ping pong ball and his hand shot up, grabbing it, though he was careful not to hurt the bloody thing as he knew Harry wouldn't appreciate that. The mad thing hooted as if he was turning it inside out and sank its beak into his finger, which considering the size was more like a little pinch than anything else. "Potter do relieve this nuisance of its missive before I am forced to pluck it bald." 

"I don't think there would be anything left of him without the feathers." Harry grinned and tore his eyes away from the very tempting, naked form on the bed. He came closer and removed the letter from a twisting and hooting Pig and sat down on the edge of the bed to open it. He read it over twice before turning wide eyes on Draco. "I have to go, Mione is at St. Mungos in labor and Rosie refuses to stay with Molly. If she can't be with her Mum or Dad then she wants her Uncle...I have to go." He got up from the bed again and started scrambling around the floor for his clothes which were spread everywhere.

Releasing the owl, Draco rolled out of the bed, cast a summoning charm and began dressing. Harry occasionally spoke of his niece so he knew that there was a child out there who'd inherited the Weasley temper and coloring, Granger's brains and looks, and according to Harry, Molly Weasley's generosity of spirit. He also knew that Harry adored his niece and would walk through fire for her. "I understand. I'd offer my congratulations to Weasley but that would rather give things away," dressed he sauntered over and pulled Harry down a bit to snog the breath from him. "Down payment until next time. I'll walk you to the floo if you want, you should go look after your rosebud."

"Yeah...Next time." Harry licked his lips, doing his best to savor the taste of Draco on them. "Take care until next time then." Harry sent Draco a heated look before he managed to get every piece of clothing on properly. Merlin he wanted to stay, or at least bring Draco with him. Having him there as he waited while his next niece or nephew was being born. Knowing that he would say or ask something stupid if he stayed any longer he raised his hand in an awkward wave before hurrying down the stairs and out of Draco's house so that he could apparate to the hospital and pick up Rose.

Draco sighed and flopped back onto the bed, glaring at the owl that had yet to leave, "You've done your job you insane bundle of feathers, be gone with you." He twitched when the impudent bird actually chose to perch on his headboard instead and hoot softly at him. "I do believe I hate you bird." He rolled over to his side and drew a blanket up over himself, shoving a body pillow behind himself to mitigate the wave of loneliness Potter's absence created. He hated it, hated that nothing felt quite right in his own home when Harry wasn't there anymore and the odd cold he felt, even in summer though it was decidedly not that season, made him positively melancholy. Perhaps he should get a pet?

He looked out the window at the falling leaves, knowing that soon it would give over into snow as Christmas approached. This would be the first Christmas he spent truly alone. His father had passed away earlier in the year, Azkaban simply not good for his health, and his mother had followed soon after, her heart seeming to break. All his friends who were alive and not imprisoned were married and would be spending the holidays with their partners and he would not intrude upon that. And here he was, loving a man he couldn't truly have and living in a humongous mansion with only house elves and his horses in the stables about. _'Absolutely should get a pet before I become a maudlin retiring twat.'_

~oOo~

Ron finished changing his new son and looked over at Harry, who was nursing a glass of butterbeer, "So what was wrong with this bloke Ginny set you up with this time? Last one, the one Mione set you up with; it was that he walked like a duck."

"He did walk like a duck, how am I supposed to take someone who looks like they walk around with a turd in their trousers seriously?" Harry looked up at his best friend, marveling at the ease with which Ron changed and handled his children. It was a far cry from the terrified wreck of a man who'd gotten pissed and passed out on Harry's couch when he first found out he was going to be a Dad three years ago. "I don't know what Ginny was thinking with this bloke, sure he was nice enough but his laugh...It was like two seagulls fighting over the last fish-head." He shook his head sadly and looked down in his butterbeer glass. The true problem was of course that none of them had gorgeous silver eyes, pale skin and a smooth, drawling voice. "You're lucky Ron, meeting the love of your life at school and getting her too." Harry wanted what Ron and Hermione had, the companionship, the easy touches and kisses as they just passed each other by and the family...Harry really wanted a family. 

"Believe me mate I know." Ron picked up Hugo and rubbed the baby's back, meeting Harry's eyes, "You know I think the problem is that the ladies keep tossing wet blankets your way. They're all very 'nice' and placid; you need someone who shakes you up." 

"Shakes me up huh?" Harry had to smile at the earnest look in Ron's blue eyes. Oh he should only know all the ways Draco shook him up. Harry quickly moved on to other thoughts before he was left with an awkward problem to explain to his best mate and his newborn son. "I think the problem is that they keep tossing blokes at me period. I'm a grown man and I can find dates of my own believe it or not."

Ron chuckled, "I do believe it but you know our girls. They’re happy and they want you to be happy too and in their minds a lover will make you happy. I don't try to figure it out. But yeah you do need someone with more spirit and fire than the blokes they keep setting you up with. You've never really been the type for nice and calm and placid. To quote George, you like a little hot sauce on your sausage."

"Merlin, that quote is wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to begin...Only your brother." Harry shook his head and pushed his beer glass to the side. "Come now, give him over." He held his arms out. "Let me hold and spoil my new nephew." He took the baby and breathed in the soft baby scent, running a finger over the tuft of red hair on top of his head. "Looks like you'll have another curly haired one." Harry smiled and looked up at Ron. "You and Mione make beautiful babies." 

"I'm giving all the credit to Hermione here mate. She's the one who did all the work while I had the fun part." Ron chuckled and leaned on the wall, "There something I do agree with the ladies about though. You're made for a family Harry, the whole crazy crowded house full of kids. I want that for you but I'll stay out of the match making game since I know you don't like being set up and because I know you'd rather do the hunting for your permanent cuddle buddy yourself."

He'd already found the man he wanted for a permanent cuddle buddy, the man he wanted the full out family with. That would never happen though, Draco had made it clear from the very start that he wasn't interested in a relationship and he was certainly not the typical family man...Still to Harry he was perfect. "Maybe I'll have a family and maybe I won't, I won't tie some poor bloke to me just to achieve that though. Don't want it unless it's with someone I love, someone I know I'll spend the rest of my life with."

"And that's how it should be. Still if you start going gray and there's no man in sight you can always adopt a horde of your own." Ron picked up his own glass of butterbeer, "Either way so long as you're happy mate."

Harry smiled at Ron gratefully before chuckling as soft brown eyes opened to glare in him in a way that was so like Hermione. Hugo then proceeded to bring his tiny little fist to his mouth and suckle loudly on it. "We'll see what the future holds. I have a few years left before I turn gray I hope. I wouldn't mind adopting, there are plenty of children looking for someone to love them...I just would rather have someone to raise them with. Harry supposed he was old fashioned and that not even an insane dark lord and a career of chasing other dark witches and wizards had been able to drive the romantic out of him. "How's the rest of the family? Has Molly forgiven me for not being able to make it to Sunday dinner last weekend? I was on stakeout, you know how it is. The criminals don't care about weekends or your Mum's roast beef."

"Harry you know Mum would forgive you if you ran through her kitchen drunk and naked, oh wait..." He dodged the lazy stinging hex tossed his way, cackling about the first Christmas out of Hogwarts they'd had. Harry had been totally smashed, thanks to George and also thanks to George had accepted the dare to strip naked and go streaking through the house and front yard. The chickens had been terrified.

"I blame your brother and I blame you for not stopping me." Harry still flushed as he remembered that Christmas but now he could laugh at it too. That first year after the war Harry had been pretty lost and more than a little wild, if he hadn't had Ron and Hermione to lean on he didn't know what would have happened to him. They were his rocks. "I couldn't eat chicken for a bloody year after that, George saying they croaked out for fear when seeing my bits."

Ron bent double laughing, "Just be glad they didn't peck at anything!" he tilted his head and straightened just as Rose came barreling in.

"Daddy! Mummy sayes thats I can gets a kitty!" Rose hugged her father around the waist and bounced with excitement as Ron looked out and met his wife's exasperated and amused eyes. Hermione had been fighting about Rose getting a pet for ages now.

"Really now Rosie Posie, what made Mummy cave in then?"

Hermione looked from her almost three year old daughter to her husband and back again. "Let's just say that our baby girl has inherited her father's persuasion skills, that and we walked past the Magical Menagerie at Diagon Alley and I had to literally drag her away from the kneazles. We're getting a cat though, a normal non magical kitten." Crookshanks had been gone for close to five years now but Hermione still missed the crabby kneazle/cat hybrid. A cat in the house would be nice.

She walked over and took her son out of Harry's arms, noticing his mad suckling of his fist. "Looks like Hugo is hungry, we have to do something about that I suppose." She smiled at Harry and ruffled his wild hair with her free hand.

Harry smiled back, his arms feeling cold and strangely empty with baby in them. He looked at Rose. "So Rosie-love, what kind of kitten do you want then?" 

Rose bounced on her toes and flung herself into Harry's arms. She loved her Daddy but Harry hugs were better cause she didn't get them as often. "I wanna a fwuffy white one wif pwetty eyes!"

"Well of course it has to have pretty eyes." Harry said and nodded his head as he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her curly hair. "They can't be prettier than yours though since you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen." He smiled and poked her freckled nose gently. "We must get a collar for your kitty when it comes, a red one perhaps so that it doesn't get lost in the snow if you want a fluffy white one."

"Nuh-uh! Gween!" Rose's voice was imperious and firm.

Ron groaned, "My child's favorite color is green, where did we go wrong?"

Harry chuckled again. "Nothing wrong with liking green, a rather excellent color if I may say so myself." He winked at the tiny girl on his lap and tickled her sides until she was a giggling, squirming mess. "A green collar then, as green as you want."

She hugged him tight around the neck, "I wan' Unca Hawwy gween!"

Ron snickered, "Those AK green eyes. Gets 'em every time. It’s your fault my little girl loves Slytherin green then." 

"If that's the case then I'll gladly take the blame. Anything for my princess Rosie." He hugged the little girl back lovingly. 

Ron just shook his head. His kids had Harry wrapped round their little fingers. Then again he was wrapped round his children's fingers too so he didn't have room to talk, "Come on, let's brew some tea for when Hermione's done feeding Hugo and we can talk about this cat you're going to be getting then princess."

Harry let the girl slip off his knee and walk over to her Daddy, happy to get to help with the tea. He looked out at the darkness outside the window, surprised that so many hours had come and gone since he decided to visit. "I should be getting home. Early morning tomorrow." Also if he was completely honest with himself he couldn't help but hope that a certain owl would find him and let him know that his secret lover was ready to see him once again. Harry was greedy and wanted to see Draco all the time, wanted to fall asleep next to him and wake up wrapped around the pale, slender man.

Ron looked at him, "You sure you can't stay for tea mate?" He shrugged at Harry's nod, "Alright. Give the princess a fare thee well then and don't be a stranger. I promise I'll try and convince Mione not to spring another blind date on you."

"Thanks mate, that would be greatly appreciated." He bent down and picked up Rose, swinging her around in the air and placing a smooching kiss on her plump cheek. "Goodbye for today Rosie-love. Be good for your parents and little brother and be sure to owl or floo me when you've gotten your fluffy white kitten." 

"Okay! Wuv chu Unca Hawwy!" She gave him a smacking kiss back then smiled at her father, "Can we have biscuits wif our tea too Daddy?"

Ron chuckled as he took Rose from Harry and headed for the kitchen, "We'll have to let Mummy make that decision princess." He heard Harry say goodbye to Hermione and floo out as he was starting the tea and listening to his baby girl talk about the kitten she'd be getting. Something was eating at Harry and it worried him a bit but until his friend was ready to share not even a Reducto would get it out of him. He just hoped everything would be alright for his best mate.

~oOo~

Draco was interminably bored. The irritating little twat Pansy had set him up with was getting on his nerves with his sly innuendo, subtle sarcasm, and his hamming it up for the reporter not so subtly haunting the corner of the restaurant. He could say with complete honesty that he utterly despised this with an intense passion. He would much, _much_ rather be sitting across from Harry and dealing with the other man's honesty than this...Slytherin's sneakiness. Ugh Merlin save him he was besotted if someone who was of his own house annoyed him.

The brunet across from Draco gave the blond what he thought was a heart-melting smile and reached out to place his hand over Draco's, of course making sure that the action was caught by the reporter's, badly hidden camera. He really did find Draco Malfoy attractive, who wouldn't but being seen with the heir to the Malfoy fortune wasn't a bad thing either. It was bound to make him noticed. "I'm so glad that you agreed to meet me, I've been admiring you for a long time." He kept his voice smooth and seductive, flashing his date another smile.

Draco pulled his hand away with an irritable sneer. "Yes I'm certain you have, the size of my vaults especially." He made a subtle gesture that asked for the check. He quite honestly did not have the patience for this song and dance this evening. He was horny and hot and only one man was going to do it for him and it was not the pathetic specimen across from him. Why had he agreed to this again?

"That's not true, well not entirely anyway." The date tried for charming. It wasn't just the vaults that were appealing, the man himself was a prize in his own right and he would not mind bedding Draco Malfoy at all. "What do you say we leave this place for somewhere a little more... _private_."

Draco did twitch then and as the waiter approached with the bill he pushed with a little magic and had the other man's glass of ice water tipping over into his lap. He took the check and stood up, "I think that you should return to your home and dry off while I intend to return to my own home and inform my friend that her husband's business associates do not make pleasant company." He handed the waiter the galleons to pay for the meal and stalked out to apparate back to Malfoy Manor. He had a missive to Potter to write and a hot bath to take. He felt dirty having just had dinner with that irritating little scrubber.

The date cursed loudly and wiped at his crotch as the reporter didn't even bother to hide anymore, the flashes of his camera blinking wildly.

~oOo~

Harry had just stepped out of the shower, wiping his at his hair with a terrycloth towel when he heard the tapping on his window. A huge grin spread over his face as he flung the window open and let the proud looking owl inside. "Hello boy, you have no idea how much I've longed to see you." He untied the letter from the owl's leg and motioned toward the bowl of treats he always had standing by. "There will be no reply." Harry hurried to throw his clothes on and practically dived for the floo, knowing that Draco would keep the floo at the Manor's antechamber open for him.

Draco was standing under the steaming hot spray of his shower, eyes half closed as he ran the soaped cloth over himself and imagined Harry joining him, the calloused hands of his lover sliding over his skin, playing over exactly the spots that drove him out of his mind. He shivered as he felt a draft and turned, jolting just a bit when he saw the object of his thoughts standing there, holding the shower door open, the sharp green eyes devouring him. He smiled slowly, sensually, "My, my Potter, you made very good time."

"That's me, full speed ahead." Harry couldn't take his eyes off Draco, his wet glistening skin and how the water turned his silver blond hair a warmer shade of gold. "If I known you were like this, all warm and wet and waiting for me I would have been here even sooner. Ignoring the fact that he'd already showered Harry dropped his clothes as quickly as he'd put them on, placed his glasses on a shelf and stepped into the steaming shower behind Draco. "Now, do you need any help washing your back?"

Draco made a pleased purr and leaned back against Harry, "What I need is your hands on me, anywhere, everywhere, driving me out of my mind." He wiggled his rump against the already hard shaft of Harry's cock. "Then I want your cock pushing inside me as you take me against the shower wall and make me scream your name." He reached back, running soapy hands over what he could reach of strong thighs. "Think you can handle that?"

"Oh I'll certainly try and try again until I get it just right." Harry's voice was husky with need as he cupped Draco's chin with a strong hand and turned Draco's head until he could cover the other's mouth with his own, his other hand sliding over Draco's chest, stomach and then even lower. The water making everything slippery and slick. Draco drove him crazy, made him ache and need and long like no other.

He moaned into Harry's mouth rolling his hips to push into his hand. This was exactly what he'd needed and wanted this man that set his blood on fire and made his heart yearn. He scratched up Harry's thighs lightly, the water making his nails soft so they glided more than scraped against the skin. The need he felt built higher as Harry stroked him and made him harder, the slickness of soap and water adding a layer of delicious sensation on top of an already perfect touch.

Harry couldn't help but rock against Draco, his aching cock sliding between Draco's arsecheeks, making him moan into their kiss. He abandoned Draco's mouth to latch on to Draco's neck, kissing and licking and hating that he had to be careful not to leave a mark. He wanted to mark Draco, bite down and show the world that this glorious man belonged to him. He cupped Draco's balls and massaged them gently as he continued to rut against that almost illegally delectable behind.

"Oh gods. The things you do to me Harry," Draco groaned and shifted his feet a little wider apart, angling his head to give Harry better access to his neck. He pushed back against Harry's groin and licked his lips at the evidence of his lover's hunger. "Please, no waiting Harry. I want you, I want you so much."

"Merlin, I want you too Draco." Harry turned him around and pushed Draco up against the tiled wall, coming to stand before him. He lifted Draco's hips up and made him wrap his legs around his waist as he claimed Draco's mouth once more. A muttered, wandless spell had his fingers slippery. Harry had learned the hard and very painful way not to use Draco's special and highly expensive conditioner as lube. He slipped his fingers between Draco's cheeks and circled the tiny, pink rosette before pressing one finger inside, groaning at the heat and clinging tightness.

Draco made a mewling sound and tried to push back against that invading finger. It was not nearly enough. He drew Harry's tongue into his mouth, sucking on it in time to the shallow little thrusts that maddening finger made. He wiggled his hand around and managed to wrap his fingers around Harry's cock, making a pleased sound as he ran his hand up and down the hard shaft.

"Oh fuck!" Harry bucked into Draco's hand as he locked his knees in place so they wouldn't buckle from the pleasure. He inserted another finger, frigging Draco gently with them as he stretched his lover in a hurry. He couldn't wait to be inside his beloved. When he was one with Draco he felt at home, in that moment it was just the two of them, nothing else mattered at all. "Are you ready Pretty one? I want to be inside you, feel you clench and move around me as I spread you open." He panted in Draco's hear and suckled his soft lobe as his fingers moved faster inside that tight channel.

"Yes. Fuck yes. I need you in me, now Harry, right now." He shuddered and moaned and panted, "Come on lover, make me scream."

"Fuck yeah." Harry groaned and pulled his fingers out as he positioned himself, sliding into his lover in one go until his balls rested flush against Draco's bumcheeks. He had to still himself a moment so that he wouldn't blow just from the sensation of being inside his lover before he placed his hands on Draco's narrow hips and pulled the other even deeper onto his cock before he started to move, his face buried in the crook of Draco's neck.

Draco made a whine and braced his shoulders against the shower wall, using the leverage to push back into Harry's thrusts. "Oh yes, yes that's right where I want you. Fuck you fill me up so good." His hands went to Harry's shoulders and gripped the wet, slick skin. "Ah, ahhhhn more gods more fuck me harder Harry."

Harry grunted and complied with his lover's demands, snapping his hips quicker and harder as he fucked Draco into the wall. He raised his head and traced open mouthed kisses over Draco's neck, chin and cheek until he could kiss Draco lazily, thrusting his tongue inside Draco's mouth in the same rhythm as he fucked him. 

He cried out and pushed back and welcomed Harry's tongue in with the same fervor as he welcomed the push and pull of Harry's cock inside him. His legs tightened around his lover's hips, a sharp, ecstatic yelp escaping as sparks flew behind his eyes when Harry managed to thrust directly against his prostate. The water sluiced over them both like another pair of hands and Draco could feel his orgasm drawing close, his muscles tightening in preparation. He moaned into Harry's mouth, his nails digging into the broad shoulders, spurring him on and demanding more, demanding everything Harry could give him.

Harry's rhythm stuttered as he came closer to climaxing, Draco felt so incredibly good in his arms, around him, rippling and tightening and Harry couldn't take it. With the kiss growing desperate he moved one of his hands from Draco's hip and reached between them, fisting Draco's cock with long smooth strokes. "Come on Pretty one, come for me...Let go."

"Oh, oh fuck, Harry!" Draco's body arched, his arms coming up around Harry's neck and holding tight as that touch to his cock sent him flying over and he screamed out his orgasm. He shuddered against Harry the pleasure swamping him in waves of lightning and fire. Such a delicious burn.

Thrusting a few more times as Draco shivered and spasmed around him Harry growled out his release as he emptied himself deep inside his lover. He panted and struggled to remain on his feet as it felt as if his spine, soul and heart had been sucked out of him through his cock and into Draco. Draco owned him, every last part of him and Harry had to bite his tongue sharply to stop the words of love and adoration that wanted to slip out.

Draco clung to Harry, his face pressed into his throat as he savored just being there with his lover. He wanted to tell him how he felt but he knew Harry would never stoop so low as to actually honestly care romantically for a former Death Eater Slytherin and he wasn't keen on leaving his heart exposed to be savaged. Still he could be as physically affectionate as he liked in the afterglow without raising suspicion. He lapped at the water clinging to Harry's skin lazily. "Mmm I needed that, badly."

Harry chuckled and ran warm hands all over Draco, gently cleaning him under the slowly cooling water. "Always my pleasure to help you with what you need." Harry loved this cuddly affectionate Draco, loved being allowed to touch and kiss and stroke just for the pleasure of being close to the one he loved. "Any reason you felt particularly needy this evening?" He stroked Draco's wet hair away from his face and placed a chaste kiss to his forehead.

"Hn I caved in to Pansy and agreed to dinner with an idiot. He kept reeling out all these tired old lines and lies and all I could think about was how much I'd rather be here with you fucking me into whatever surface we happened to find ourselves on." His eyes drooped half closed, enjoying the simple kiss that made him feel cared for. "I really shouldn't have let Pansy talk me into it but she promised to lay off for three months if I went to the damned dinner."

And that made Harry's chest monster flare to life, roaring and growling for blood. His arms tightened around Draco possessively. Draco wasn't his, Harry did his best to remind himself of that fact but even thinking about Draco with someone else made Harry's being scream in protest. "I know the feeling, Ginny set me up with this annoying man who had the worst laugh you can imagine. I hope I've managed to talk Ron into talking to his wife that I don't need any more set ups or blind dates."

Draco's jaw clenched and he had to swallow the words of possession that wanted to escape. He didn't want Harry going on those blind dates anymore than he'd wanted to indulge Pansy but he had no right to demand otherwise. He was just someone Harry had sex with, nothing more no matter how much his spirit cried out for the more. "Hm well if that works you'll have to figure out a way to get Weasley's method to pansy's husband because if I have to deal with one more scrubber I'm going to commit murder." He shook his head, "Let's change the subject shall we?"

"Mmhmm, fine by me." Harry didn't want to hear about Draco with someone else, even though it seemed as if Draco wasn't a fan of these dates. What if someone came along that was Draco's type? Then Harry wouldn't even have these meetings with the one he loved. That thought made him ache inside. He held Draco close as the other turned off the shower and then he grabbed the fluffy warm towel and wiped Draco dry gently, wanting to take care of him. "My niece has managed to nag herself the permission to get a kitten. A fluffy white one with pretty eyes." Harry smiled at the memory of Rosie's earnest look.

The blond chuckled, "Of course with pretty eyes, all little girls should have pretty eyed cats from what I've been told it is a requirement, along with the garish rhinestone collar." Once dry he didn't bother with a robe or any other such idiocy, just grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him over to the lake sized bed. "How is she handling her sibling's arrival?"

"She's handling it well." Harry went down on his knees to dry Draco's legs and feet. "There was a small crisis just when Hermione and Hugo got home from Mungos, when Rosie realized that Mummy wasn't all hers anymore, that she couldn't just jump on Mione whenever she wanted to. She loves Hugo though and tries to be a very responsible big sister...Although she tries to put him dresses and bows much to Ron's horror." 

Draco carded his fingers absently through the damp mop of black hair, "I can only imagine the amusement Granger gets out of that. The cat will likely mitigate some of the 'dress up little brother' impulses as she'll have a white fluffy creature to dress up instead."

Harry chuckled warmly. "Yes, at least until the white fluffy creature fights back and she is introduced to very sharp claws. Hugo doesn't even have teeth yet, he's a safer bet for her dress up urges." He finished toweling Draco off and placed a soft kiss just over the blonds' navel before getting off the floor.

That kiss for some reason went right to his heart, making it squeeze and clench with an almost desperate desire. He slid under his sheets then held out a hand to Harry. "Come here. I need a nap first and then," he smirked slowly to cover up the emotions rioting around inside him, "we'll have round two."

Laughing Harry took Draco's hand and tumbled naked into the huge bed with the softest sheets Harry had ever felt against his skin. "Don't nap too long, I might just have find some new and exciting way to wake you up if you do."

"Now that's not exactly incentive to wake up on my own," he snuggled close and nestled his face into the crook of Harry's neck, "but I might just behave for once." He let the warm chuckle soothe him off to sleep and into dreams of a life where he and Harry were truly together in private and in public.

~oOo~

"What?!" Draco stared at Blaise in utter knee weakening shock. He'd been having trouble the last few days. His usual sleep pattern had twisted and turned round so that he'd been late for seven business meeting in a row, he'd been eating the most revolting things, he's been brought nearly to tears by a fallen flower petal or other trifle and then to laughter not two seconds later more times than he cared to think about, and yesterday he'd fainted so, as Blaise was his personal healer as well as trusted friend, he had of course 'requested' his assistance in discovering the cause behind his odd behavior but even he could not quite countenance the diagnosis. 

"Really now Draco, as your personal healer I know there's nothing wrong with your hearing." Blaise drawled. "You my dear friend are most definitely pregnant, expecting a child just to be perfectly clear. I assume you know how these things happen or do we have to have the _talk_ as well." 

Draco's hand shot out and grabbed Blaise's shirt front and he growled into his friend's face, "This. Is. Not. A. Joking. Matter." He released Blaise's shirt and moaned, bending over to put his head between his knees as he felt woozy. His voice was weak as he continued, "Very much not a joking matter."

"Sorry Dray, I know it's not. I was just trying to lighten the shock of it." Blaise apologized and started to rub Draco's back and neck knowingly, pressing his fingers against the pressure points to reduce tension and dizziness. "I suppose you know who the father is, you should tell him. You'll have a rough time ahead of you my friend and it would be easier for you not to have to go through it alone. That it is if you plan to have the baby of course." Blaise started to rattle of all the things Draco would need, from pre-natal potions to a change in diet. "Oh and no more riding for the time being. You know how delicate the first stages of a wizard pregnancy is, if you want this child then you are going to have to take care."

The blond made a whimper, "Fuck my life. That's all there is to it Blaise, just fuck my life." He rubbed his hands over his face aware the fingers were shaking and whimpered again. What the hell was he going to do? Pregnant? Him? He had some little human parasite growing in his belly? He was going to get fat! He was going to throw up regularly! He was going to get swollen ankles, backaches, headaches, and Merlin only knew what else and he'd be all alone during it too. He had a deep, sudden desire to run to his bedroom and curl up in a miserable little ball. There was no possible way he could tell Potter about this! He just couldn't. What was he supposed to do, send him and owl then say, 'Oh good day Potter I'm afraid it's no sex today as you've managed to knock me up the duff. I know you really don't give a shit about me as more than a sex partner but it appears we are going to have a child so if you could possibly cater to my whims for the pregnancy I would appreciate it.'? Not only would Potter either laugh or clock him, he just couldn't take that rejection.

He made a pathetic mewl as he realized he was not, at all, thinking about ending the pregnancy. By Circe just thinking about that made him sick. He was knocked up by the man he was painfully, secretly in love with, no possible chance of truly being with that man was in sight, and he already knew there was no way he could abort the baby. He was screwed.

Blaise stopped trying to rub Draco's back and went to just holding the other man as he went from healer to just friend. He knew that life after the war had been rough on Draco, losing his parents, his family name's reputation and of course the mark on his arm, all leading to fact that Draco had to work five times as hard as any other. "It'll be alright Dray, anything you to choose to do, you'll have me at your back, just like always. If anyone can do this, it's you." Blaise paused. "I...gather from your reaction that you and the other man involved aren't in a relationship then?" Blaise's gold ring on his left hand glinted as he held his friend. "You know that you're always welcome to stay with me and Daph, she'd be happy to have you and between you and me, I think her little sister still carries a torch for you. Showing up pregnant might finally quench Astoria's ambitions to become the next lady Malfoy." 

Draco scooped a hand through his hair as he snorted softly at that the comment on Astoria, "A hold hands in public and cuddle all night every night relationship no. We fuck, well and often and have been for...a long time now." He sighed and rubbed his temple, "That's of course how he wishes it."

"But not how you wish it was." Sharp, dark eyes looked at Draco. Blaise was not stupid and he'd known Draco Malfoy for most of his life. "You love him." It wasn't a question. "Isn't there any chance that you can tell him, that it could become more that just a relationship between the sheets?" Blaise was blissfully happy with his wife and of course he wanted that kind of happiness for his friend as well.

Draco's sarcastic scoff was eloquent, "That holds about the same odds as my father returning from the grave proclaiming a love of all things muggle."

Blaise snorted, unable to stop himself. "Ah, okay. I won't push but the offer to stay with us still stands. You don't have to do this alone. And as a healer I must say that you should still tell the other father if you are planning to keep the child."

He didn't reply to that. Blaise knew him well enough to take that silence as the resounding no that it was. "I might invade your home after the Hols, possibly. For now I do believe I am going to visit Fortescues for an obscenely decadent sundae and ponder precisely what my immediate actions will be."

"Fine." Blaise backed off, already knowing there was no point in pressing on. "I will write a list for you with the potions you will need and where you can get them." He rose and walked over to a desk where he grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment. "Remember to take it easy, no riding! I want to see you for monthly check ups as a healer and as a friend you can call on me anytime."

Draco decided not to whack Blaise for implying he should purchase potions from some hack when he was more than capable of brewing them himself and just took the parchment, "Very well but I am going to demand you come over to exercise Atlas as you're one of only three people he'll allow on his back." Draco of course was another as the owner of the fiery tempered stallion but Harry had somehow managed to endear himself to the bloody horse as well. Of course only Draco knew that bit.

A black brow rose at the mentioning of three people being tolerated by that demon beast masquerading as a horse but Blaise wisely kept his mouth shut. "I'll be there to make sure the demon doesn't get fat. Take care Dray and if you need to talk once this has all sunken in...Well you know where to find me."

"I do indeed. Go home to your wife then, let her know that she may eventually be hearing an unreasonably distraught Malfoy demanding to speak with you over the floo about swollen ankles or some other such insanity in some months to come. Oh and just one thing," he poked Blaise in the chest, "Do _not_ let Pansy know. I adore her and will tell her once it becomes unavoidable but I would prefer to put off dealing with the Pansy assault as long as possible."

"I am your friend but I take my vows as a healer very seriously, you are my patient and I don't go around gossiping about my patients." Blaise grumbled, a little bit stung that Draco thought he would blab. "She will not be hearing anything from me. You can tell her yourself when you're ready to do so."

"Blaise you are the soul of discretion but it's Pansy. The woman who slipped Veritaserum into your tea to find out what her husband was getting her for her birthday. A sneakier or more unethical woman has yet to be created. I fully intend to avoid her like the plague and I suggest you either do the same or hide behind Daphne." He pat his friend on the shoulder.

"I always hide behind Daphne, one of the perks of having a ruthless, Slytherin wife." Blaise smiled, knowing Draco was right, if Pansy wanted something she didn't stop until she had it. Blaise leaned in for a short unexpected hug before releasing Draco. "Do take care, as much of an annoyance as you can be I do care about you...And training a new friend would be such a pain in the arse."

"Yes I'd hate for you to be so put out." He dusted off his sleeves and swept his fur lined cloak on, "I'll take my leave then, there's a sundae with my name on it." He walked out of St. Mungos and down to the main thoroughfare of Diagon Alley. He wove his way through the throngs on people doing their holiday shopping and to Fortescues, ordering a large chocolate sundae with hot fudge, mint chocolate chips, brownie bites, and cherries. He settled at a table and proceeded to watch the world pass by outside as he slowly ate his bit of decadence and one hand drummed its fingers on his lower stomach.

He was going to have a child, Potter's child. He was pregnant with Harry Potter's offspring. He was going to have Harry's baby. No matter how many times he ran it round his head it had a surreal feeling to it. What did he know about babies? He knew they cried, and messed themselves, and spit up and that was about it. They were helpless and couldn't be trained like one would a foal or a puppy and they grew into unruly, loud, messier children who would then grow up and break your heart when they went off to school. He could still remember his mother crying the day he left for the Hogwarts Express the first time. Of course she'd not done so in public but it had happened. His mother...who his child would only know through stories and pictures, the same as his father. A child who would not know his or her grandparents on either side, both sets gone on to the next great adventure. What if something happened to _him_ leaving his baby alone? Merlin he'd have to set up a Gringotts account, remake his will, and then there was Potter.

Potter who loved children, who wanted a family of his own, who knew about caring for children. Was it fair to keep this a secret from him? Was it right? He wasn't sure. He caught sight of a familiar form in red across the street and saw the object of his thoughts walking out of a store, his face alight as he carried a curly red haired little girl from the Menagerie, a little girl that was holding a fluffy white kitten with pale eyes. He couldn't quite see the color properly from this distance.

Harry laughed happily at Rosie's joy and pulled out a soft velvet collar out of one of his pockets and handed the bright green ribbon to his niece so she could tie it around the kitten's neck with his help. He'd been ecstatic when he'd managed to talk Hermione and Ron into letting him take Rose to get the promised kitten. It was his pre-Christmas gift to her and something he really wanted to do. It had taken a lot of time and a lot of indecision before they had found the perfect kitten but now they had her and Rosie couldn't be happier. 

He looked around the street and then whipped his head back when he saw a familiar head of blond hair over at Fortescue's. "So Rosie-love, how about an ice-cream before we go home?" If he managed to hit two birds with one stone...then that was only a bonus.

"Yay icecweam!" 

Rose's happy exclamation could probably have been heard in the Americas. It was certainly heard by the blond wizard already sitting with a death by chocolate sundae in the parlor and he suck down lower in his seat, his stomach cold in a way that had nothing to do with the ice-cream. He _should_ get up right now and leave, escape before Potter got here with his niece but he was frozen to his spot and found himself watching as Harry entered and ordered a small, simple caramel sundae for his niece and got an ice-cream for himself. _'Please don't come over here, please don't come over here, please, please, please don't come over here.'_

Harry balanced girl, kitten and two ice-cream dishes in his arms as he carefully made his way between the tables and chairs until he stood by Draco's table. "Mr. Malfoy, fancy running into you here. Do you mind if we join you?" His insides jumped in happiness at seeing his loved one and he wanted nothing more than to reach down and brush that fine hair out of Draco's face before kissing him. "This is my niece by the way, Princess Rose Weasley." 

Rose studied Draco before proclaiming, "He wooks wike my kitty!"

Draco blinked and eyed the kitten and sure enough, the feline had silver eyes that were drooping in contentment. Though how the poor creature could be content nearly being squeezed to death he wasn't certain. "Young Miss Weasley I see that you have your mother's eyes and good looks."

Rose beamed, "My Mummy is the prettiest Mummy in the world!"

Seeing no way out of this, Draco waved his hand at the other chairs at the table he was at, "Well Potter, sit."

"Thank you." Harry smiled and sat Rose down in one chair, transfigurating his scarf into a thick pillow so that she could reach the table top before sitting down himself. "Rosie is right you know, the kitten does look a little like you. Very pretty eyes." Harry's eyes flashed with hidden heat before he looked at Rose, helped her off with her coat and set the ice-cream in front of her, amused that the kitten had fallen asleep in her lap. "So Rosie-love, what are you going to name your kitten? She needs a name don't you think?" He tucked a curl of red hair behind her ear lovingly.

Rose nodded, wondering why Mr. Malfoy had blushed when her Uncle had said he had pretty eyes but scooped a bit of ice-cream up, "It's gotta be a name I can say wight. A pweety name. Do you know any pweety name Mr. Mawfoy?"

Draco froze, spoon half-way to his mouth as big, pleading brown eyes blinked at him, "I er...well," he thought of the Weasley proclivity toward Arthurian names and one just fell out, "Gwen is rather charming."

"Gwen is beautiful." Harry agreed, his eyes on Draco rather than on his niece. Draco seemed jumpy and startled and Harry couldn't help but wonder if the blond thought it so horrible to simply meet him outside of the bedroom for once. It made it heart hurt. "Gwen was the queen of Camelot, the most beautiful queen ever." 

Draco spooned in his ice-cream and swallowed, "It is also a Welsh name that means white, fair, and blessed."

Rose's eyes lit up, "Dat purfect! Cause she's white and pweety and Mummy said that some special girl kitties are called queens."

The blond man choked on his next spoonful of ice-cream as he knew a female cat that was pregnant was a queen. He'd bet Granger hadn't explained _that_ bit. Merlin it seemed he couldn't get away from the subject of pregnancy even speaking in front of at three year old.

"You okay there Malfoy?" Harry looked at him intently, not liking how pale the other had gotten and the way he had choked on the ice-cream. "Is something wrong?" Tendrils of concern wove themselves through Harry's whole being and he wished he could be there for Draco in every way, make him relax and smile. He looked so tense and worried. 

The kitten started to purr happily in Rose's lap, as if she approved of Gwen as a name and what it stood for.

Rose peered at Draco, "Daddy coughs wike dat a wot. Mummy says it cause he inhaled his feetses."

Draco lifted a blond brow, "Does she?"

"Uh-huh den she whack him with the dish towel."

He had to chuckle at that and waved off Harry's concern, "I'm perfectly alright Potter. No need to worry your head about my ice-cream going down the wrong way." His lips twitched as a kitten head popped up over the table, a bright green collar round its neck. He waved his wand and had a little gold jingle bell appearing on the collar with the name Gwen etched into it.

Rose squealed happily, "Pweety! Dank joo!"

"You are quite welcome."

Harry's eyes shone with warmth, if it was possible he fell even more in love with the man on the other side of the table. Gods he wanted to be with Draco, wanted the blond to become Rosie's uncle too...He wanted to marry Draco, bond with him and never let him go. "Thank you, it was very kind of you." Harry could not pull his eyes away from the blond, drinking in his appearance.

"Well don't go spreading that around, I've a reputation to maintain as a scary," he glanced at the little girl cuddling her kitten and eating ice-cream, "meany head." Draco did his best to avoid Harry's gaze but he caught it anyway and was sucked in, as always, by the incredible green eyes. In the back of his head he wondered if the baby he carried would have that startling true green as his or her eye color. That thought had his stomach jumping and there was a look in Harry's eyes, an interesting softness, that made him wonder if maybe, perhaps it wasn't quite so impossible after all.

Of course life had a way of ruining such moments as it did now when he heard an all too familiar high voice of one Rita Skeeter.

"Well what do we have here? A cozy private meeting between our Savior and the heir to the Malfoy empire...Putting old rivalries aside are we?" She walked up to them on needle thin stiletto heels, a truly fake smile on her lips and the quick quote quill already writing frantically. "And who is this...'charming' little girl?" Her nose wrinkled as she looked at Rose, children were useless as long as they didn't belong to a celebrity and you could use them.

Harry's eyes shuttered and grew cold as he drew his Auror persona around him as a cloak. "Go away Rita."

Draco's own eyes went icy cold, especially seeing the way Rose drew her kitten close and scooted to cling to Potter. He lifted his pointed chin and managed to look down his nose at Skeeter, his expression the disdainful sneer his family was known for, "Yes indeed Skeeter, go away. You are very much not welcome here. Perhaps you should return to training that little protégé of yours as he is an abysmal failure at remaining undetected."

Rita sneered. "Oh don't be that way, the public has a right to know what's going on with one of our greatest heroes. And once you were one of my protégés, you should not forget that."

Harry gathered Rose in his lap, hugging her protectively. "We went over this when I sued the Prophet after you had hidden that recording porcelain figure in my _bedroom_." Harry's voice was low and cold with pure rage. "I will not hesitate to drag your wrinkly ar- behind to the Wizengamot again in a second if you do not turn around and leave right now." 

Rita shot them a look of pure venom but she had almost lost her job over that stunt and she could not afford another mistake with her bosses. "The truth will come out Potter, it always does." She sneered again and waggled away on those deadly heels.

Draco's hand clenched on his spoon as sudden, garish headlines played though his head. 'Malfoy bears Potter's Secret Love Child' and 'Potter's Bastard Child' both were Skeeter's style. He saw Harry cuddling Rose and felt his stomach twist. Harry loved children and would want his and if he didn't want Draco along with it then that would be easy for him to take care of. The Wizengamot would award Potter custody of a child over himself in an instant, just as they'd toss Skeeter into Azkaban should Potter feel it necessary to press charges against her once more. No. No he couldn't tell Harry, couldn't even ever let Harry so much as suspect. It was selfish as hell but if he was going to carry a baby around inside of him and give birth than he refused to allow that child to be taken from him, ever. 

He looked at his melted ice-cream and set his spoon down, "I'm afraid I'm late for an appointment. Miss Weasley it was a pleasure to meet you," still not liking the child's instinctive cringing from Skeeter he performed a silly bit of wandless magic and tucked a glittery rose behind her ear.

Rose blinked up at him, "Nice to meetcha too Mr. Mawfoy."

Harry's eyes softened again and he looked at Draco, wanting him to stay but he couldn't keep him here. "Thank you for letting us share your table. Good luck at your appointment and I hope to see you again soon." Those last words were filled with hidden meaning. Harry couldn't wait to get to see Draco again, touch him and taste him. He pulled the rose out from behind Rose's ear and held it in front of her so she could see its glittering beauty.

Draco knew he'd have to sever ties to Harry but he couldn't start now, "We'll see. Good day Mr. Potter." With that he fled. He had two letters to write, a chalet manager to contact, and elves to order to pack his things. He intended to be out of Britain and in Switzerland by tomorrow afternoon. 

When he returned to the Manor the first thing he did was sit to write out a letter first to Blaise and then to Potter. To Blaise he gave information of where he would be and that he would have to floo to Draco's Swiss chalet for the monthly check ups. He also requested him to look after Atlas and Artemis, his owl, while he was gone. Harry's letter was more complicated and he went through a thousand incarnations of it before settling on a simple, short missive of, 'I will be out of the country for the foreseeable future.' Just that. He would let Potter make of it what he wished. He then set about getting the rest of his affairs in order. He would send Artemis off with the letter and note tomorrow just before he left.

~oOo~

Harry was miserable, the falling snow, fairy lights going up and Rosie's excitement for the upcoming Holiday did nothing to lift his spirits. After that short note from Draco, that didn't really say anything at all, he hadn't heard even a whisper from the blond. It had been weeks and no one seemed to have a clue were Draco Malfoy was. Harry had gone so far as to go to the Manor, the house was dark and quiet and the wards had kept him out. He went over scenario after scenario, wondering what he had done wrong. Had he said or done something that last time at the ice-cream shop? Harry turned his mind inside out trying to find a reason. His life was empty and dark. He'd turned into a robot, working and sleeping, eating only when someone reminded him to do it. 

He missed Draco so much that it was a real physical ache inside him. With a sigh he put on his coat and boots to apparate to Hermione and Ron's house. He didn't want to go but he knew Ron would come and drag him over if he cancelled again. He looked around his dark, messy apartment forlornly before closing the door and disapparating with a pop.

Ron looked up at the pop and poured another cup of tea as Harry came in, "Have a seat mate. I asked Hermione to take Rosie and Gwen for a walk and Hugo's down for his nap."

Harry gave his best friend a surprised look but went to sit down at the table where the teacups were. "That sound ominous, is there something you need to talk to me about?" Harry pulled off his cloak and rubbed his temples, his headache ever present these days.

"Yeah, you." Ron took a sip of his tea, "Harry you're not sleeping, you're turning into a hermit, you're losing weight and working so hard Kingsley is considering forcing you to take a vacation. The last time you looked this much like hell was fifth year. What's eating you?"

Harry glared at Ron and considered brushing it off or telling his friend to mind his own business but at the same time he really needed to talk to someone. This was eating him up inside, leaving him an empty, miserable shell. "Love...Love is eating me. I went and did something so stupid Ron, I fell in love."

Ron quirked a brow, "How is falling in love stupid? Did you do something to cock it up like I almost did with Hermione?"

"I don't know, I think I did." Harry took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And it is stupid, it wasn't supposed be love...Only sex. He doesn't love me. We've been meeting for sex for over a year now. Spectacular, bone melting, eye popping sex but there were not to be any feelings involved. I don't really know when I fell in love with him but I did. I love him so much, want to spend the rest of my life with him...Making him happy." He slid the glasses back on and looked at Ron. "Now he's disappeared, he doesn't want to see me anymore. Not even for sex apparently. I must have done something wrong...Maybe I let my feelings slip somehow and he got disgusted."

Ron frowned and drummed his fingers on the table, "Alright mate first of all who's this bloke? I can't give any real advice until I know who we're dealing with here." Not to mention he wanted to know who to hex the bollocks off of.

Harry looked into his teacup, already steeling himself for Ron's reaction. "It's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. He's wonderful though Ron, when he lets his walls down he's the most perfect man I've ever met."

Ron's tea went spewing across the table and he was spluttering and coughing having sucked some down his windpipe. " _Malfoy?!_ Pointy faced, ferrety, little-" he held up his hands and got up to pace, mutter, kick a couple of things, and slug down a shot of firewhiskey before sitting again. "Okay just to clarify, you're arse over tits for Malfoy?" He sighed at Harry's nod, "Okay and he's disappeared...did he out and out _say_ he didn't want to see you anymore?"

"No, I just got a note saying he would be out of the country for the foreseeable future." Harry slumped in his seat. "But it's pretty obvious isn't it? Whenever he's left the country before he's let me know where he's going. We've never gone this long without some sort of contact since this thing started. I miss him, I miss him so much it hurts. You should have seen him with Rosie, he was so good with her...I want a family with him. I think I scared him away."

"Nothing is obvious when it comes to a Slytherin remember? They sneak and slither around what normal people just deal with straight out and clear plus it's Malfoy. Since when has he had a problem telling you he hates your guts or finds you disgusting. Seems to me that if it was that simple he'd have flat out said it. Look Harry, he makes you happy when you're with him?"

"He does, when I'm with him it feels like I'm home in a way nothing has ever felt before. As incredibly cheesy at it sounds he completes me." Harry gave a joyless chuckle. "He's never had a problem telling be loud and clear that he abhors me. I don't know what to do though. I can't turn to his friends since no one knows about us, Draco was very clear that it was to be a secret when we started. I don't know where to start looking for him."

Ron picked up his copy of the prophet, rolled it up, and whacked Harry over the head with it, "Last I checked his wand signature is still in your files. All you have to do is cast a tracking spell you idiot. If he really makes you happy, if you really love him, then find him, find out why he left, and tell him how you feel. You don't get too many shots at love and if you let your fear keep you from it then you're fucked for the rest of your life."

Harry rubbed his head and looked at Ron with wide shocked eyes before he burst out chuckling like a loon. "Oh Ron, I really do adore you...I needed that whack. I've been wallowing in my own misery for weeks now but you are entirely right. I'm an Auror for fucks sake, I'm going to track my pointy git down and I'm going to make him love me." 

"There you go. Now I'll make your excuses to Hermione so go, while you've still got the momentum because next time I'm letting my wife knock sense into you and you know she's meaner." Ron sipped his tea again.

Harry almost paled at that, knowing exactly how mean Hermione could be when she wanted to. "Thank you again Ron, I'm going to the office to retrieve Draco's magical signature and tell Kingsley I need some time off. Then I am going to find him." Harry got up from his seat with a new purpose and a new gleam in his eyes. "Wish me luck mate." He shrugged into his coat and wrapped his bright red knitted scarf around his neck.

"Yeah yeah, good luck. Now get out of here." Ron waved him off with a laugh. Once Harry was gone though he had to shake his head. Harry and Malfoy, what was the world coming to? Well he'd best floo his Mum and let her know she just might need to make a new sweater in time for Christmas. She's go frantic with only a week and a half left but he knew she'd be happy if Harry was happy.

~oOo~

Draco sat comfortably before his fire, sipping ginger tea and brooding. He'd become an even bigger champion brooder in the weeks since he'd left. He missed Harry, missed that firm toned body against his, missed the warm laughter and deep voice, missed everything about him, including the silly stories about what his niece was up to. He rested his hand on his abdomen, where just the slightest rounding had begun to appear. He was lonely. He didn't even have an owl up here to keep him company and he didn't like pestering Blaise, especially when he knew that his friend's wife was rather keen on spending all their free time trying to get a sprog of her own. Pestering Pansy was completely out of the question as she'd step through the floo and demand to know why he'd buried himself in Switzerland. He once more toyed with the idea of getting a pet but he'd have an infant to care for in approximately six to seven months, he'd not have time for a pet then. He sighed just as a knock came on the door.

He frowned and got to his feet, swearing that if it was the old woman from the chalet half a mountain over again he'd hex her regardless of her age. He was lonely, not so desperate for company that he'd put up with an old hag trying to set him up with her granddaughter. He yanked the door open and felt his heart jump up into his throat and his stomach drop to his ankles.

Harry looked at Draco greedily, letting his eyes roam up and down the slender form to make sure he was all in one piece, that he wasn't hurt in anyway. He looked tired and thin and so, so beautiful. Harry could feel something settle inside him, just by being close to Draco again. Though he still didn't know why Draco had run in the first place. His ribs ached from the spill he'd taken as he'd tracked up the mountain, trust Draco to have anti apparation spells up all around the mountain, making Harry hike through knee deep snow to get there. Harry wanted to reach out, touch Draco and pull him close for a kiss. Instead he just looked the other up and down again, letting his eyes linger on Draco's face. 

"Draco Malfoy, you're a hard man to track down."

Draco's hand clenched on the door knob, "And is there a particular reason an Auror is tracking me down? Last I checked I'd not done anything illegal in months."

He faltered a little under Draco's cold tone but he was not going to back down or lose his nerve, not this time. Harry needed to let Draco know how he felt, he couldn't keep it inside any longer, it was killing him. "I don't give a shite about any illegal activity, it's not the Auror who's looking for you. It's just me...Just Harry." Green eyes bore into silvery gray, he was not going to let Draco make light of this.

"Well just Harry I'm afraid I'm really not in the mood for one of our hard shags so if you've trekked up the mountain in hopes of a good one off I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." Draco tugged his shirt down a bit surreptitiously his mind begging Harry to just leave before he flung himself at him and just clung.

Green eyes darkened with emotion. "Do you really think I'd chase your arse across Europe just to get a piece of it? You really are a grand git." Harry was angry and hurt at Draco's words but he still loved him, still wanted him and knew that he always would. "I can't do that anymore Draco, no more meeting for sex...It hurts."

Even though he'd already made the decision to stop seeing Harry, hearing those words from him still felt like a slap in the face. He folded his arms across his chest, "No one made you bugger me Potter so if that's all you came to say, you can retrace your steps back across Europe and settle down back in England and find a simple, socially acceptable little twit to fuck into the mattress." He made as if to shut the door in Harry's face.

"Fucking hell you stubborn bugger!" Harry placed his foot in the way so that Draco couldn't shut the door, he'd lost feeling in his toes half way up the mountain anyway so even if Draco tried to slam the door it wouldn't hurt. He was frozen to the bone, his ribs hurt like a bitch and his stomach was knotted into a thousand tiny knots. "Don't you dare shut the door in my face you idiot. I don't want to fuck some socially acceptable twit, I don't want to go back to England...I don't want anyone other than you!" Harry was shouting now but he couldn't help himself. "I can’t meet you for sex anymore because it's not enough, I want more, I want everything...I love you, you pillock!"

Draco took two startled steps back, his face pale and his eyes wide and shocked in his face, "W-what?" He couldn't have possibly heard that Potter loved him. His pregnancy hormones must be disrupting his hearing. 

"I love you, I have for a long time now...I tried to make do with our meetings so that I could at least see you then but it's not enough." Harry had his heart in his eyes. "When you just disappeared you took my heart with you. I want to walk through Diagon Alley, holding your hand. I want to kiss you in the Ministry corridors, I want to bring you for Sunday dinner at the Burrow. I want to go to sleep holding you at night and wake up the same way, every single day. I want to make you laugh and I want to be there for you when things are rough." He took a deep breath. "I just want _you_...I love you."

Well that killed the auditory hallucination theory. He was still standing there, unmoving, eyes wide, face pale, as his mind tried to assimilate that his feelings were not, in fact, unrequited. That Harry had been wanting the same things he did for some time now. He had no idea how to react or what to say. His logic circuits were just frozen.

Harry's eyes searched Draco's as his heart sank. Draco looked completely shocked and he didn't move and didn't say anything. Suddenly it was hard to breathe, he had poured his heart out to Draco and the other man didn't even respond. Faltering, Harry removed his foot from the doorway and took a few steps back into the snow. He was desperate for Draco to love him but not desperate enough to force his feelings on an unwilling man.

Seeing Harry take those steps back Draco just reacted and lunged forward, gripping the lapels of the brunet's coat and shaking him, "No! Don't....don't you _dare_ walk away, not after saying that you bastard. You _can't_ tell me you love me and then just _leave_. I'll hex you blind damn it."

"Hex me, curse me, do anything you want as long as you keep me." Harry closed the last distance between them and wrapped his arms around Draco, not caring in the slightest about the ache in his ribs. "Gods I love you, you infuriating creature."

Oh gods it felt good to have Harry's arms around him. He melted against the other man, his hold going from the front of the coat to the back, fingers clutching tight. "It took you bloody long enough," he nuzzled and sniffed at Harry's throat, "Do you have any idea how long I've been kicking myself over falling arse over tits for you when I knew better than to even think you could possibly feel the same for me?"

"We're idiots, the both of us." Harry's hands went up to cup Draco's face before tracing his elegant and slightly pointy features reverently. "I've felt exactly the same...We've both been pining and hurting and loving each other then." He leaned in and kissed Draco, he couldn't hold himself off from it, needed to feel Draco's lips against his own.

Draco immediately opened his mouth, his hands moving up over broad shoulders to sink into velvet black hair as he plastered himself against Harry, giving himself up happily to the kiss even as he stepped back, pulling Harry with him inside and kicked the door shut once they were safely inside the chalet.

The heat of Draco's mouth and the warmth inside the chalet wrapped around Harry and made his frozen limbs tingle. He moaned into Draco's mouth as he licked his way inside it, tasting the familiar and addicting taste of the man he loved. "You are so beautiful, so perfect...I want to treasure you and keep you with me forever." Now that he was allowed to, he couldn't keep the words of love and affection from tumbling out.

"Then do, please," Draco scattered kisses over Harry's jaw, his tongue occasionally flicking against the prickly skin, "I'm all yours Harry, every last bit of me." 

"I'm yours too, everything I am, it all belongs to you." Harry buried his face in the crook of Draco's neck, breathing in his scent and hiding his burning eyes. This was almost too good to be true and Harry wanted to make sure that it was real, that Draco really felt the same way. 

Draco carded his fingers through the soft, messy hair of the other man, "Show me."

"If you let me then I want to spend the rest of my life showing you." Harry kissed Draco again before shrugging out of his coat with only a slight wince. He knew his right side had to be black and blue by now but that didn't matter. Instead he sunk to his knees in front of Draco, nuzzling his clothed crotch before slowly moving his fingers toward Draco's trouser fastenings.

He shivered and made a soft sound somewhere between a mewl and a whimper. It had only been a few weeks but he felt so needy for Harry's touch. "No teasing Harry. I can't...I need..." he bit his bottom lip and moaned as Harry freed his hardening dick from the confines of his trousers.

"Who's teasing love?" Harry looked up at Draco and kept his eyes locked on the other's as he leaned in and rubbed Draco's erection over his lips before sticking his tongue out and planting kitten licks all over the beautiful pink shaft. Draco was gorgeous there too and Harry loved the taste of him. Finally he opened his mouth more and swallowed Draco down.

A garbled whine came from Draco and his knees gave out, his hands gripping Harry's head, "Oh gods this, you...gods your mouth." He felt Harry catch him and lower him to lay back on the floor as he proceeded to drive him out of his mind with his mouth. The squeezing of Harry's throat around him had him seeing stars and panting, the heat already rising to almost unbearable levels. "Good, so, so good."

Harry continued his task with enthusiasm, sucking, licking and swallowing. That he could make Draco's knees give out, lure those noises and pleas from that pretty mouth was wonderful. Harry wanted nothing more than to please his lover, to drive him crazy and make him feel good. One hand went up underneath Draco's shirt to stroke his sides and chest and the other pulled down Draco's trousers and pants further. So that he had room to cup and roll Draco's balls in his palm.

"Hnnnnug!" Draco arched into the touches, whining and wiggling to get more. "Fuck you drive me mad, such sweet madness." His hands curled into the rug beneath him, "Please Harry."

He let one finger slide into his mouth along with Draco's erection, wetting it before letting it travel lower, circling Draco's entrance carefully, slowly before finally sinking it inside that tight heat. Harry curled it so he was rubbing against Draco's prostate at the same time as he swallowed Draco's cock deep down his throat and hummed around it.

Draco yelped, sparks flying behind his eyes and his legs went up and wrapped over Harry's shoulders without conscious thought. He writhed, pressing back against the invading finger then up into the hot, sweet mouth that was driving him demented. "Fuck!"

Harry pulled his mouth off Draco's erection just long enough that he could look up at him and whisper. "Come for me love, let go and let me taste you, swallow you down." He wiggled his finger over the sensitive gland inside Draco and licked at the leaking, flared head before swallowing him down again.

"Ah! Harry! I-nnnnah!" Draco tossed his head back and forth, the pressure inside building to fever pitch before everything broke and he was screaming as he came in Harry's mouth. The orgasm had his head spinning and his vision blanking out but he couldn't care as long as he still felt Harry there with him, the strong, capable hands gently stroking his skin and his trembling thighs as he shuddered in his release.

Harry continued to lap at Draco's dick until it was completely spent and softened against his tongue. Then he released it and pressed kisses to Draco's hipbones, his inner thighs and his lower stomach lovingly. His own erection was so hard it ached but this was about giving Draco pleasure. Seeing Draco feel good made him feel good. He crept up Draco's body until he could kiss him again, his mouth, his cheeks and the tip of his pointed nose. "You are so beautiful in your pleasure. I'll never be able to get enough of you." 

Draco wrapped his arms lazily around Harry's neck and nuzzled his jaw, feeling too sated to twitch more than that, "The feeling is mutual and I fully intend to see you come as soon as I can muster the energy to move again." 

Chuckling Harry grabbed his coat and his wand and transfigured the woolen piece of clothing into a fluffy, thick rug before he squirmed and shuffled until both Draco and he was lying on it. He didn't like the thought of Draco lying on the floor, even though it was warm inside the chalet. "No hurry Pretty one, I'm a patient man." Harry unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on Draco's shirt before pulling it off him, wincing a little again as his ribs ached. He lay down next to Draco, running his hands all over him. Smiling at the small paunch on Draco's lower stomach, it was adorable. Without thinking he cupped his hand over it. "Have you dipped a little deep into the Swiss chocolate storage love?"

Draco stiffened, his eyes narrowing, "Excuse me? Are you calling me _fat_ Potter?"

"Eh...No?" Sensing danger, Harry tried frantically to think of something that would defuse this situation. "Of course you're not fat darling, you're gorgeous. And this," He rubbed the tiny little bump. "This is cute."

Draco elbowed Harry back and sat up, eyes snapping with temper and cheeks flushed, "I am _not_ fat! And I have _not_ been eating too much chocolate I'll have you know! This," he gestured at his paunch, "is entirely _your_ fault!"

Harry placed his hand against his bruised ribs as Draco elbowed him and looked at the blond with confused and shocked eyes. "My fault? How in Merlin's scraggly beard is it my fault? And I told you that you're not fat, I love you regardless of how you look."

"It's your fault because _you_ knocked me up!" It was said in a low, dangerous growl.

Harry's jaw dropped and his eyes grew saucer wide. His brain skidded to a screeching halt and all he could do was stare. "You're pregnant? With my baby?...Our baby?" Joy, disbelief and a stab of anger and sadness warred inside him. If he hadn't come here, would Draco ever have told him? 

Draco realized what he'd spat out in a temper and immediately began curling up into himself, pulling his shirt back down. The look on Harry's face didn't exactly scream pleased. "Yes." It was short and simple and he held himself stiff and ready for rejection or anger, one hand moving to cover the baby bump protectively.

"Hey now, no more of that...Don't go all prickly on me now." Ignoring Draco's rigid form Harry pulled him into his lap, rubbing his chin against Draco's shoulder. "Don't blame a bloke for being shocked, I can't imagine you were completely calm when you first found out either. I love you, I told you that and this won't change that...Our baby...It's even more than I ever dreamed about."

Draco relaxed and let Harry hold him. "Gee I get told I'm up the duff and the only man I'm letting into my pants is one I was, at the time, certain would never want me for more than a good shag....no calm is not exactly the term I'd use." He closed his eyes and leaned into Harry.

"See, I just needed a freak out moment." He nuzzled Draco and wrapped his arms around him, placing one hand on top of Draco's over the tiny baby bump. "I love you and I already love our baby. I hope he or she gets your hair." Harry kissed the hollow behind Draco's ear. "Marry me...Become my bonded in front of magic itself...Please."

His mouth went dry, "You'd best not be asking that just because of the baby because if you are I'll neuter you Harry."

Harry reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small, square box, flipping the lid open and showing Draco a ring in bright platinum, shining silver colored strands of it braided together in a Celtic pattern. "It's not because of the baby...I got this before I knew, before I came here."

Draco stared at that elegant, simply beautiful ring, "Well you've certainly a way about you. You sure you're ready to handle me forever? Especially a moody, hormonal, pregnant me?"

"I can't think of anything better. I've been utterly miserable these weeks without you." Harry kissed that tempting spot again. "Are you sure you can handle me and everything that comes with me...Mostly a horde of Weasleys."

"So long as your two best friends play civil I do believe I can cope." He leaned his head to the side a bit, giving Harry better access. "Put the ring on my hand Harry."

Smiling, Harry reached for Draco's left hand and picked the ring out of the box, sliding it on the third finger, his smile widening when it was a perfect fit. "There, you're stuck with me now." He brought the hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the cool metal of the ring.

"Romantic sap," the words were harsh but the tone was soft and affectionate. Draco slid a look over at the fireplace less than a meter away and smiled at the leaping flames. "I love you Harry."

"I love you too, I have for a long time. I can't wait to live my life with you, start a family...It will be our greatest adventure." Harry rubbed the little bump again, feeling humbled and awed that their child was growing in there. A whole new person that was a blend of both of them. "Now I would love to stay like this all night but I could use a little help with by ribs...I think they're broken."

Draco's head jerked up and he scrambled off Harry's lap, "What have you done to yourself you idiot?" He grabbed his wand, banished the shirt from Harry's body and sucked in an irate breath at the bruising there. "Up! Sit down on the ottoman and I'll be right back with a few healing supplies. Honestly of all the fluff brained, reckless, impossib-" his voice faded as he disappeared into his bathroom to gather the essential potions and bandages together.

Harry couldn't help it, he just smiled a silly and utterly besotted smile as he listened to Draco grumble and curse. It didn't matter that he was a little bruised, this...this right here with the two of them was worth more than all the riches in the world. He loved every side of Draco, including the overbearing one and the snarky one and he was so happy that he would be around all of them from now on. Knowing it was safest to obey Draco though he got up from the transfigured rug and sat down on the ottoman like a good boy. 

Draco walked back into the room, a small box of supplies in hand and paused to study the goofy grin on Harry's face. He shook his head, an answering soft smile curving his lips, "You are hopeless Potter." He stepped close and began casting a diagnostic spell and treating Harry's injury. As insane as he was certain Harry was going to make him, he wouldn't want anyone else. He just hoped the Weasleys would be half as welcoming to him as they'd been to Harry.

~oOo~

The Burrow with surrounding garden was covered in hundreds of twinkling fairy lights. Big fat snowflakes were slowly falling, glittering in the gleam from those lights. As they walked up the path leading to the house Harry could already hear Christmas music and laughter from inside and it made the corners of his lips tilt upwards. "Are you ready love?" Harry squeezed the hand he held tightly, feeling the metal of the ring against his own fingers.

Draco's stomach twisted as he nodded, "Yes..." he took a couple more steps alongside Harry and then his legs locked up, "Wait, no. I can't do this. They're going to hate me. Hell they likely already _do_ hate me. I'm far from the Light-sided goody-two-shoes I'm sure they've all had in mind for you and Arthur positively _despised_ my father, not that he didn't have reason to, he did, but what if he looks at me and sees my father and-" he blinked at his fiancé when a gloved finger came to rest gently on his lips, stopping the rush of words.

"Calm down Pretty one. You're not your father, you're nothing like him. The only thing the people inside that house want for me is to see me happy. You make me happy. _I_ love you, that's the only thing that matters." Harry gave him a soothing smile. "If it gets too much we'll leave, I promise...Besides, you already have one fan in there. Rosie hasn’t stopped gushing about you and your pweety eyes since Fortescues."

"You promise we'll leave if it looks like I'm about to be hexed?" Draco's hand tightened on Harry's at his fiancé’s nod and he swallowed, "Okay. Okay, let's go in then." 

"I love you." Harry leaned in and kissed Draco before walking the rest of the steps to the door and knocked lightly before entering into the chaos that was the Weasley clan."

Draco swallowed hard as pairs of brown and blue eyes all turned toward them and the room was suddenly so silent a pin could be heard dropping. His hand clenched even tighter on Harry's and he was perhaps two seconds away from running out and popping back to Malfoy Manor when an excited little voice exclaimed his name loudly.

"Mr. Mawfoy!" Rose ran over and came to a skidding stop, right into Draco's none to steady legs. She wrapped her arms around one of them and blinked up at him, "Hi! Happy Cwismus!"

Draco cleared his throat, "Happy Christmas Miss Rose."

Hermione followed her daughter's lead and walked over to the newcomers, Hugo cradled in her arms. She leaned in and kissed Harry's cheek and hesitated only for a second before she did the same to Draco. "It's nice getting to meet the man who's made it impossible for Harry to stop smiling. Happy Christmas Draco and welcome." 

Harry smiled gratefully at Hermione and squeezed Draco's fingers in comfort.

He nodded, "Granger."

"Ah-ah," Ron walked over and wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders, "She's a Weasley now remember? You have to use her given name." He held a hand out, much in the same way Draco had once done with Harry, "Welcome to the Weasley Christmas insanity Draco."

Draco blinked at the freckled hand then reached out and shook cautiously, "Thank you...Ronald." He looked at the baby boy in Hermione's arms, "Congratulations on your second child. I must admit, the two of you make good ones."

Hermione smiled at that, knowing a statement like that had be hard to say for Draco Malfoy, he was brave to walk into the wolf's den like this, she had to give him that.

"Well, don't just stand there boys. Take your outer clothes off and come inside properly. We have warm apple cider, mulled wine and all kind of treats." Molly waved her hand, motioning them in. 

Harry smiled and leaned into whisper in Draco's ear. "Look over to the right on the couch, it's your Aunt and cousin...Not just Weasleys here." There was a dark haired witch and a blue haired boy sitting on the couch by the Christmas tree, watching the events carefully.

Draco looked over his shoulder at Harry as he let him divest him of his coat and murmured, "In case you've forgotten the attempt at familial reconciliation went rather badly between my Mother and Aunt." He made very soft eep as Rose took his hand and dragged him, without so much as a by your leave, over to Andromeda and Teddy. 

"Teddy, Miss Andy dis is Dwaco!"

Teddy eyed the blond critically before nodding cautiously, "I know Rosie Posie. He's my cousin."

Andromeda sat still and quiet for a while before she stood up, straightened her deep blue robes and leaned in to hug Draco. "It's good to see you nephew. Whatever...'issues' my sister and I had, they were between us. I would like it very much if we could at least perhaps become friendly. There are many traditions that Teddy needs to learn from our side of the family too, I would be grateful if you could help with that."

Harry had hurried over to hug both Molly and Arthur as Rose dragged Draco away but now he walked over the floor briskly to be at his fiancé’s side. He crouched down and pinched his godson's nose with a smile. He loved Teddy and tried to be there as much as he could for the little boy.

Draco hugged his aunt back, hearing Teddy's giggle at the nose boop. "Of course Aunt Andromeda. I'd be happy to help however I can. You’ve been well I hope?"

"As well as expected." Andromeda's smile was gentle but her eyes were shadowed. She'd lost her husband, daughter, son in law and both her sisters almost in one blow. Granted she hadn't been on speaking terms with her sisters but once upon a time she had loved them both dearly. "Teddy is a blessing" She looked down to where Harry had continued to tickle Teddy into a giggling squirming mess before looking up at Draco again. "You've chosen well nephew, I am happy for you."

He smiled a bit, "Thank you. I wonder if, whenever you might feel ready, you might like to look through Mother's vault and things for any keepsakes or such. I know you were unable to reconcile but the old pictures I've seen...."

She ran her hands down the sides of her robes and looked down at the floor before looking up again. "I always loved her, you are correct that we weren't able to reconcile. Different views on life and too many years going in different directions but loving her was never a problem. Despite her illness I loved Bella too...It's hard to believe with the monster she became but she was a very sweet, loving girl once." Andromeda's smile was bitter. "Forgive an old woman her ramblings, the answer to your question is yes, I would like to see Cissy's things. Not to keep them but I might be able to tell you their history."

"Whenever you're ready then. Though I may start moving her things in the Lady's suite to another room soon as I've a different use for that one in mind." With the large bank of windows and light wood the Lady's suite would make an excellent nursery.

Andromeda reached up and patted his cheek. "You do that, move on and live your life Draco. Teddy and I can come visit and have a look after the Holidays." She looked down at her grandchild who was now sitting on top of Harry's stomach after having wrestled his godfather to the floor. His formerly blue hair now matched Harry's dark strands.

Draco had to chuckle at his fiancé and murmured softly, "A times he's almost like a child himself." He squeezed his aunt's shoulder, "You and Teddy will always be welcome any time you'd like to visit."

Teddy crowed, "I win Uncle Harry!"

"Yes you win." Harry agreed and flopped still in surrender. "You have grown much too strong for me Teddy-bear, I'm lucky I don't have to meet you in my work...The Aurors would be doomed." He grinned up at Teddy before sliding his eyes to Draco's, both smile and eyes warming. "Now we should get off the floor before the woodworms burrow into us, Luna was very clear about the dangers of that." He held the little boy underneath his arms and jumped to his feet.

"You Mr. Potter are incorrigible." Draco's voice was ripe with amusement.

"Oh everyone's been telling him that for years," George came up to tilt his head at and study Draco, "but then what do you expect with such a troublemaker." He tsked.

"Oh please, that's rich Georgie. You calling me a troublemaker." Harry chuckled and put Teddy down on his feet, ruffling his hair. He was relaxed and smiling but absolutely focused on Draco and ready to jump in if anyone should say something bad to his Pretty one. "Any trouble I've been in the last few years have been because of you."

"Why I take offense to that. I've been nothing but the soul of propriety guiding you in....Harry your blond is going to pass out from lack of air laughing like that."

The second George had called himself the soul of propriety Draco had absolutely lost it and begun laughing. It was quite honestly the only reaction that made sense with the sincere look on George's face combined with his words.

All conversation stopped the moment Draco started laughing and many pairs of brown and blue eyes turned and simply stared. Molly's expression became pleased and she gave a small nod of approval to herself. She did trust Harry's choices but the Malfoy boy seemed so cold and stiff. Seeing him laugh like that showed that he was only human and it also showed a side of him that Harry had obviously seen and liked. She hurriedly started talking again and pulled the others along with her so the poor boy wouldn't be gawked at.

Harry moved quickly to Draco's side and wrapped his arm around the other's waist. He kissed Draco's laughter flushed cheek with a smile of his own. "Well what do you expect George? When you sprout shite like that with a straight face?" 

George just grinned and shrugged, "Well someone had to get him to loosen up. He's going to be family and really, in this family only Percy is allowed to be a stiff-necked prat. Ta." He rambled off, scooping Teddy and Rose up and whispering plans to get at the gingerbread house.

Draco blinked, "Did he just...basically give us his blessing?"

"Mmhmm." Harry nodded and nuzzled Draco's neck, his heart overflowing. He had dreamt of being able to hold Draco like this, of bringing him to his family and now it was happening and Harry had never been happier. "See no hexes, you've already got Ron, Mione, George and Molly in your corner, from here on out it's only smooth sailing." 

Draco saw Fleur Weasley nee Delacour eyeing him and wasn't so certain but he made a hum of agreement and melted back against Harry as the party went on. Things remained smooth, though the piercing looks from Bill's wife occasionally set him on a slight edge and by the time they'd all sat down to dinner he was feeling a bit up to his usual snark though he kept it to things that he could agree with the Weasleys on, like the boneheaded move the Falmouth Falcons had made trading their star Chaser for a bumbling blockhead. He snickered as Ginevra made a sharp comment about the Canons, making Ronald splutter just as George offered Rose, who'd demanded to sit beside Draco, a Christmas cracker.

Harry laughed and talked and ate until he was entirely too full but he couldn't stop himself from trying everything on the table. Even after all these years Molly's food was the tastiest he could ever think of and he just had to indulge. Bill was pouting and sending Harry glares since Victoire wouldn't stop saying shite in a loud, clear voice after Harry's little slip earlier. He took a hold of Draco's hand with a smile as George and Rose pulled on the ends of the Christmas cracker. It exploded with a loud bang and let out a green tinted, pine smelling cloud that hovered all over the table, Rose donning the pirate hat inside it with a happy giggle.

Unfortunately as soon as it hit Draco's nose he turned as green as the cloud, "Oh Merlin," and he was out of his seat and running to the lavatory to cast up his accounts so fast it was surprising that none of the party guests had windblown hair from his passing.

Ron's brows went straight up at the sound of loud retching that echoed in the silence that followed, "Bloody hell George what'd you put in the cloud, eau de skunk?"

Hermione looked closely at Harry, taking in his concerned eyes and red cheeks. "I don't think this is George's fault...for once." She sent her brother in law a teasing look. "Remember some months ago, what happened every time I smelled coffee?" 

Harry was frozen to his seat, he wanted to go make sure that Draco was alright but he doubted his fiancé would approve at the moment. He avoided the stares from his family by looking down at his plate intently.

George tilted his head, "Well yeah but then you were...oooooooooooh." It was a long drawn out sound of understanding and he grinned at Harry, "Really little brother, didn't Mum give you 'the talk' complete with those nifty contrac-mmph," he was cut off by the dinner roll Angelina had stuffed in his mouth.

Teddy stared at Harry, "You and Cousin Draco are having a kid?"

Harry's ears were tomato red but he couldn't keep the goofy and pride filled grin from spreading over his lips. "Yeah Teddy-bear, we're having a baby."

"Oh..." Molly's eyes glistened and she held her hands by her heart. Then she turned to Harry and shouted. "What are you doing here then you big lout? Go give your man some crackers and fresh water, I'll go get the kettle going, I think we still have some ginger tea here from Hermione's last turn....GO!!" She made a shooing motion and Harry was quick to obey.

Draco was just resting with his forehead on the rim of the toilet when he heard Harry's footsteps and croaked, "I'd kill him but it's not like George knew...before he pulled the cracker that is. Not exactly a secret any longer now is it?"

"Nope, expect lots of loud congratulations when you're feeling better." Harry sat down on the tiled floor next to Draco. "Molly just kicked my bum for not being here taking care of you. I have some crackers if you feel up to it." He brushed a lock of white blond hair from Draco's forehead. "Molly's making ginger tea also."

Draco turned into the touch, "The tea is much appreciated, the crackers...ugh I don't want to think about food for at least another fifteen minutes. Pass me a wet cloth will you though?"

"Of course love." Harry shifted and wetted a soft cloth in the sink, he also handed Draco a tall glass filled with cool water. "Here, rinse." He wiped the cloth over Draco's face and neck in careful, gentle movements before placing a kiss to the tip of Draco's nose. "I love you."

He swished his mouth out and spit into the toilet bowl before responding, "Love you too now budge over and let me stand up," when Harry did just that he set about putting himself into order, straightening his hair and casting a mouth cleaning charm before turning round and pinching Harry's chin in his fingers, "I swear if I start vomiting regularly now I'm blaming it on George and getting even."

"Fine by me." Harry grinned. "Georgie-boy can take it, hell he'd probably think it was grand." He cupped Draco's face and rubbed his jaw with his thumb. "Are you upset that they know?"

"That they know?" Draco shook his head, "No. The way it was revealed? Yes. It's not as though anyone could have guessed that the strong scent of pine would make me run for the loo however." 

"There's no one who will dare to even mention it love. There are plenty of others out there who has been through the same thing not long ago. If the spouses don't fancy sleeping on the couch for a week or two they will keep their mouths shut." Harry smiled. "Expect a lot of advice though, needed or not and a whole bunch of home knitted baby clothes."

A soft laugh came from him and he nuzzled his nose against Harry's throat, "Just before you found me I was wallowing, thinking about how the baby wouldn't have grandparents or rather wouldn't really know them. It made me..." he trailed off looking for the right word.

"Lonely? Sad? A knot of worry and hurt in your stomach? Our parents have a great impact on who we are, who we become and what we'll learn. This child will be loved and she or he will have Arthur and Molly, Andromeda and a horde of cousins. We'll tell our child all we know and remember about Grampy Lucius and Granny Cissy. Through you our baby will know the good sides of your parents as well." Harry let his fingers scratch through Draco's hair. "I was wondering actually...If you would come with me to see my parents later? I...I try to visit them every Christmas."

Draco brushed his lips gently over Harry's, "I would be happy to go with you Harry." He traced the edge of his fiancé’s jaw with his fingers, "and yes I was feeling all that, until you showed up and a bit of it until tonight. It's better, knowing that our babe will have family, if not directly blood related still family."

"My blood relatives were the worst excuse for a family I've ever known...This family though, the one that took me in and loved me in the blink of an eye, without hesitation. They are worth everything and our child, _we_ could never even dream of a better one." Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder and wrapped his arms around him.

Draco poked him in the stomach, "Not arguing but do remember that not all blood relations are foul twats." He choked when he heard a little girl's voice bellowing.

"Mummy what's a twat?!"

"That Rosie, is something I am going to let your Uncle Draco explain to you. It's a bad thing though and a word we're not going to use." Hermione's voice was very stern and it made Harry snort in amusement against Draco's skin. 

"Come on then Uncle Draco, it's time to go out there and face the music."

Draco groaned and decided to toss dignity in order to yell out, "Not my fault she was eavesdropping Hermione Weasley!"

Ron's voice was calm and amused, "He's got a point love. C'mere Rosie, it's a very bad word and a very bad thing to say that you are not allowed to say until you're all grown up."

"Oh, you mean wike Teddy innit allow to say de f word?"

Draco dropped his head onto Harry's shoulder, "Is this a regular occurrence?"

"Oh yeah, this is a calm, orderly party where everyone is still putting on their best behavior for you. Just wait until the polish wears off. It's chaos like you wouldn't believe and it's absolutely wonderful." Harry's smile was blinding.

"Shite!" Victoire hollered, followed by Bill's scolding voice.

"Oh joy, well let's face the firing squad then shall we?" Draco stepped back and opened the door, lifting a brow at the group assembled there barely a meter away, "does the word privacy have no meaning for you lot?"

"Not really no." Ginny answered with a shrug. "Look around you Malfoy, we've practically grown up on top of each other, privacy was a dream at most. If you have true secrets use a privacy bubble. Anything else we'll find out anyway so what's the point of having to repeat it?" She ran a hand through her long red hair. "Congratulations by the way." 

The rest of the Weasleys echoed their congratulations to both Draco and Harry and Molly handed the blond a cup of steaming ginger tea with a smile and a pat to his cheek.

He took it with a bemused smile and a murmured thank you before he was ushered to a chair and the chaos started up again. This was so far beyond what he was used to but he rather thought he could grow to like it. He caught Harry's eyes and smiled at his fiancé. Scratch that, he would grow to like it. It was different but it was warm and welcoming and exactly what he wanted his child to grow up with.

**~Fin~**

**Merry Christmas, may your Holidays be wonderful.**


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